The UCI has announced that one of Colombia’s top track stars of the last decade, double World Championships silver medallist Martha Bayona, has been banned for 18 months by its Anti-Doping Tribunal after registering three failures in their whereabouts program.
Bayona now has a month to appeal against the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the UCI confirmed in their press release, although the track star has already stated on social media that she will accept the sanction.
After taking a long-postponed decision – because of her career – to undergo surgery during her provisional suspension, she said that “the process has reminded me that beyond results and medals, athletes are people. We train to the limit, yes, but we are also vulnerable, we have difficulties, periods of mourning and moments of crisis. Recognising that is not a weakness, but an act of honesty. I will assume the consequences of this process [the anti-doping suspension] with respect, strength and as something educational.”
This is the second anti-doping suspension received by a Colombian racer in 2026. In late January, Germán Darío Gómez, a rider with the ProTeam Polti-VisitMalta, received a provisional sanction for an alleged violation. He has insisted on his innocence.
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